Reds can only jumble struggling lineup so much

MILWAUKEE -- When a team is struggling offensively – like the Reds did in New York – there's only so much a manager can do.

The Reds certainly struggled over the weekend in the series against the New York Yankees. The Reds scored only six runs – four on solo home runs.

"You've got to make sure the players know you still have confidence in them," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "We have some regulars that we know are going to be in there, and they're going to play through struggles.

"The other guys are more bench players, guys that we rotate. You can't always just play the hot hand. It doesn't always work that way. There's match-ups, a lot of our guys have some history. If you have a guys who's 2-for-20 off a starting pitcher, it's tough to put that guy in your lineup.

"But you have to stay with your guys. You can play with the lineup a little bit. If somebody is really struggling, you push them down a bit. The one thing we don't want to do is give the sense we don't trust the guys we have.

"Three games doesn't a season make."

The one tweak Price made with the lineup was to give Jay Bruce Monday off. Bruce was 0-for-11 with five strikeouts in the series. Donald Lutz got a start.

"(Bruce) had a tough series in New York," Price said. "I just think it's a good opportunity to get Lutzy in there and to utilize our bench a little bit – which is tougher. We've got some young, inexperienced guys on our bench. We're in contention but they have to be able to contribute as well. I think just the way things line up, Jay will be in there the next two games for sure and obviously, going back home. He's our right fielder. He's going to play almost every day. Today is one of those days he's not."

The other player that really struggled in New York, Billy Hamilton, was in the lineup Monday. Hamilton was 1-for-12 in New York.

"Balls with a lot of loft to them doesn't do him, doesn't do anybody a lot of good," Price said. "He's like everybody else. He's going to run that tide of hot and cold and in between over the course of the season."

As Hamilton goes, so go the Reds.

"When he gets on base, he wreaks havoc," Price said. "He gets our other guys better pitches to hit. He can confound a defense. But we can't put all the onus on him."

Hamilton rarely lacks for confidence.

"You've got to fight through it," he said, "and keep working. I don't feel pressure. But I know I've got to do my job."

PATIENCE, PERHAPS? The Reds walked three times in the Yankees series and struck out 31 times.

Price doesn't want his players looking to walk.

"It has nothing to do with taking pitches," he said. "It's getting good pitches to hit and taking advantage of those pitches and laying off the borderline pitches –and being comfortable hitting behind in the count, hitting 0-1 because you didn't want to hit that breaking ball or that first pitch that's tight to you or that quality pitch that's down and away."